Monmouth-UCI New Jersey Plastic Poll Conducted September 2019
89%
View plastic pollution in ocean as serious problem
52%
Support ban on plastic straws
65%
Support statewide ban on single-use plastic bags
64%
Have heard little or nothing at all about microplastics
No Time to Waste: Eliminating Marine Plastics If current practices continue unabated, scientists estimate the ocean could contain more pounds of plastic than fish by 2050. The public has begun to recognize the severity of the crisis, as demonstrated by the growing number of communities imposing bans on single-use plastics such as grocery bags and straws. Monmouth University and the UCI have been leaders in the push to eliminate plastic pollution. As co-chair of Monmouth’s Sustainability Advisory Council and advisor to the student Sustainability Ambassadors, UCI Associate Director Tom Herrington has worked with University departments and its food vendors to lessen the use of non-biodegradable materials and address waste. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection honored Monmouth as an institutional leader in the fall for its broad-based program that resulted in recycling 46% of the waste generated on campus in 2018. The UCI sought to increase public awareness of the threat of marine plastics through a series of events on campus. In celebration of World Oceans Day and Monmouth Reunion Weekend, the UCI invited a panel of alumni environmental leaders back to campus for Together We Can: A Plastic-Free Ocean. The Monmouth University Polling Institute and UCI also co-hosted the Marine Plastics: Law Science and Action expert panel discussion on campus in the fall. The Institutes partnered to survey New Jersey residents on their opinions of plastic pollution, releasing the results as a discussion topic during the panel. Visit the UCI website to view the full survey results or watch a video of the event. The UCI co-sponsored the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability 2019 Student Summit, which focused on student solutions to plastic pollution. Over 100 students and faculty members from New Jersey universities gathered at Monmouth to develop plans to reduce single-use plastics on their campuses.
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